ETIHAD Airways commenced on November 1 direct daily services from Abu Dhabi to Male, the Maldives capital.
The UAE flag carrier employs Airbus A320 aircraft on the route, configured with 120 economy- and 16 business-class seats.
An Etihad Airways official said the new service would cater to passengers from across the UAE and the Middle East, and also Europeans seeking connections to the Maldives.
Upul Peiris, COO of Adaaran Resorts in the Maldives, said Etihad’s new flights would help to boost connectivity between European source markets and the Maldives.
“More access means more clients. It would also help the Russian traffic as Etihad flies there too,” he said.
The Middle East accounts for 1.6 percent of total arrivals to the Maldives, and contributed 10,489 visitors during the first nine months of the year, an increase of 24.1 per cent over the same period last year.
